Prostate is an immune-competent organ normally populated by inflammatory cells. Prostatic inflammation origin can be multi-factorial and there are some emerging evidences on its possible role as a factor involved in prostate cancer (PC) pathogenesis and progression. This review critically analyzes the role of inflammation as a prognostic factor for progression and aggressiveness of PC. We verified the last 10 years literature data on the association between inflammation and PC aggressiveness, or PC response to therapies...

BACKGROUND: Osteodex (ODX) is a cytotoxic bone-targeting polybisphosphonate, intended for treatment of bone metastasis from castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The primary objective of this study was to describe the tolerability and toxicity of such treatment by defining its maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and confirmed bone metastasis were assigned to seven infusions of ODX every third week, divided in seven ascending dose cohorts...

AIM: We combined anti-androgen therapy with radiotherapy in a first-line setting for metastatic prostate cancer aiming to cause maximal cancer-cell death to delay the emergence of castration-resistant disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this non-randomized retrospective series of 46 patients, the initial median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was 98.5 μg/l (range=6.7-15,500), median Gleason score 9 and most men had at least T3N1M1 disease. All patients received luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analog or degarelix with bicalutamide...

OBJECTIVE: We examined whether epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be used to predict survival in a population of bone-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with docetaxel chemotherapy. METHODS: All patients with mCRPC who had experienced treatment failure with androgen-deprivation therapy and had received docetaxel chemotherapy were eligible. CTCs and EGFR expression in CTCs were enumerated with the CellSearch System in whole blood...

Progress has been made in applying genetic information to disease management in the postgenomic era, and precision medicine is emerging in prostate cancer management. The prostate health index, the 4-kallikrein (4K) score, and the PCA3, TMPRSS2- ERG, and Prostarix tests have potential for refining prostate cancer screening in conjunction with traditional prostate-specific antigen testing. The Confirm MDx and PCA3 tests have shown promise in identifying men who need be rebiopsied after a primary negative biopsy...

BACKGROUND: To date, bone metastases remain the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Therefore, the combination of accurate early detection of bony disease and effective treatment of these lesions is crucial in the management of mCRPC patients, but clinical trials specifically designed to test novel approaches are currently lacking. CASE DESCRIPTION: This report describes the case of a 74-year-old male with bone mCRPC and symptomatic and biochemical progression, who underwent radium-223 therapy, following previous treatment failure...

BACKGROUND: The clinical course of prostate carcinoma (PCa) is very heterogeneous. Consequently, a personalised approach for risk stratification and treatment planning is important. Recently, it has become evident that PCa, also at the genomic level, is heterogeneous. An early and common alteration is the gene fusion between the transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) gene and the v-ets avian erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG) gene resulting in expression of the oncoprotein ERG...

LESSONS LEARNED: Cabazitaxel has activity in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and taxane-resistant cell lines. For the first time, cabazitaxel was investigated in incurable patients with recurrent SCCHN. Patients were randomly assigned to cabazitaxel every 3 weeks or weekly methotrexate.This phase II study did not meet its primary endpoint.Cabazitaxel has low activity in SCCHN.The toxicity profile in this population also was not favorable owing to the high rate of febrile neutropenia observed (17%)...

The androgen receptor (AR) is the main driver of prostate cancer (PC) development and progression, and the primary therapeutic target in PC. To date, two functional ubiquitination sites have been identified on AR, both located in its C-terminal ligand binding domain (LBD). Recent reports highlight the emergence of AR splice variants lacking the LBD that can arise during disease progression and contribute to castrate resistance. Here, we report a novel N-terminal ubiquitination site at lysine 311. Ubiquitination of this site plays a role in AR stability and is critical for its transcriptional activity...

INTRODUCTION: Enzalutamide (Xtandi®) is a new potent inhibitor of the signaling pathway for the androgen receptor with a half-life of 5.8 days. It has been on the market for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer since November 2013. OBJECTIVE: We report the first case of acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) induced by enzalutamide. OBSERVATION: A 62-year-old male patient with no significant medical history, was diagnosed in April 2014 with metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma...

In prostate cancer, the development of castration resistance is pivotal in progression to aggressive disease. However, understanding of the pathways involved remains incomplete. In this study, we performed a high-throughput genetic screen to identify kinases that enable tumor formation by androgen-dependent prostate epithelial (LHSR-AR) cells under androgen-deprived conditions. In addition to the identification of known mediators of castration resistance, which served to validate the screen, we identified a mitotic-related serine/threonine kinase, NEK6, as a mediator of androgen-independent tumor growth...

Radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo®; 223Ra) is an alpha-emitting radiopharmaceutical FDA-approved for the treatment of bone metastases in patients with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer. It is also being examined clinically in patients with breast and lung carcinoma and patients with multiple myeloma. As with other forms of radiation, the aim of 223Ra is to reduce tumor burden by directly killing tumor cells. External beam (photon) and proton radiation have been shown to augment tumor sensitivity to antigen-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs)...

INTRODUCTION: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is used as first therapeutic approach in prostate cancer (PCa) although castration resistant disease (CRPC) develops with high frequency. CRPC is the consequence of lack of apoptotic responses to ADT. Alternative targeting of the androgen axis with abiraterone and enzalutamide, as well as taxane-based chemotherapy were used in CRPC. Serine/threonine protein kinases (STKs) regulate different molecular pathways of normal and neoplastic cells and participate to development of CRPC as well as to the progression towards a bone metastatic disease (mCRPC)...

Current treatment options for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) are limited. In this study, a high-throughput screen of 4910 drugs and drug-like molecules was performed to identify antiproliferative compounds in androgen ablated prostate cancer cells. The effect of compounds on cell viability was compared in androgen ablated LNCaP prostate cancer cells and in LNCaP cells grown in presence of androgens as well as in two non-malignant prostate epithelial cells (RWPE-1 and EP156T). Validation experiments of cancer specific anti-proliferative compounds indicated pinosylvin methyl ether (PSME) and tanshinone IIA as potent inhibitors of androgen ablated LNCaP cell proliferation...

BACKGROUND: Galeterone is a multi-targeted agent with activity as a CYP17 inhibitor, androgen receptor antagonist, and also causes androgen receptor degradation. It has shown meaningful anti-tumor activity with a well-tolerated safety profile in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in phase I and II studies; however, the efficacy of currently approved CRPC therapies after treatment with galeterone is unknown. In this study, we evaluate prostate specific antigen (PSA) response of non-protocol therapies following galeterone in a subset of patients treated on the Androgen Receptor Modulation Optimized for Response (ARMOR) 2 study...

INTRODUCTION: Recent evidence from histology studies regarding random prostate biopsies hint toward a relationship between higher biopsy Gleason score and the development of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, prostate biopsy underestimates final pathology in about one-third of patients. We evaluated the final whole gland pathology from radical prostatectomy exclusively in order to assess the true risk of progressing to the mCRPC state for patients with confirmed Gleason ≤6 prostate cancer...